A terrible shock this morning

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This morning I followed my usual routine. I got up, got dressed, padded on into the living room to do the central thing -- namely test my blood sugar, taking my morning medications, and see what fresh horror was on CNN. Today was a terrible shock. Anthony Bourdain is dead, evidently a suicide, while he was working in France on his series. He was a hero to me. An incredibly talented chef, writer, and all around person of the world. Reading his first book, Kitchen Confidential, taught me how to set up a proper kitchen, introduced me to Global knives, how to look at food and one hell of a good read. In other words, I was hooked. I eagerly scouted the shelves for his books, watched his work on television, and kept exploring what was food and how to make it. In other words, he blew the doors off of the world and told me to get the hell out there and grab it. Which I did. I loved his profane style, his insatiable curiosity, and his no bullshit attitude. Yes, he shocked, he was laced with profanity, and there was a dark side to him. A -very- dark side, as we were to find out. He was an addict. And he was constantly working on it. Addiction isn't a question of morality, it's a mental health issue. Mental health isn't about morality. Combine the two, and it's a war that you will fight, every day, every night, every minute. I don't know the details of his death. I don't want to, to be honest. But I will focus on what he did during his life. Today, I am going to repost the reviews that I wrote on his books. I am going to miss him a lot, and his acerbic view of the world. Godspeed, Tony. The world is going to be a lot sadder place without you. Suicide hotline: 1-800-273-8255